Cartoon in Kerala BJP’s mouthpiece uses caste slur on CM Vijayan, CPM hits back

The cartoon shows two men discussing the privilege motion with a caption underneath translated as ‘such things must be kept in mind while giving responsibility to someone who should climb coconut trees’. The comment was widely seen as a crass dig at the chief minister’s caste of ‘thiyya’, a community which were mostly engaged in toddy-tapping. The chief minister’s father himself was a toddy-tapper.

The cartoon generated widespread public condemnation on social media with the BJP-RSS combine coming under fire for making vicious casteist remarks. In October, the police in Aranmula had slapped a case against a woman for making similar caste slur on the chief minister. The women subsequently apologised.

While the BJP leadership has not commented so far on the cartoon, the CPM has stood up in arms against the saffron party. Isaac, counted among the senior leadership of the ruling party, wrote on Facebook that the cartoon exposes the inner mindset of the BJP’s leadership in Kerala.

“This is an age where even jokes and small-talk in private conversations involving anti-women remarks and casteist statements must be strictly avoided. It’s in this age that the mouthpiece of India’s ruling party publishes a cartoon that contains casteist slur against the chief minister. In terms of culture and general amity, the Sangh Parivar has stooped down so badly,” Isaac wrote.

The finance minister alleged the Sangh Parivar wants to take the society back to an ancient and primitive stage of
life. He said the Janmabhumi cartoon is a disgrace to Kerala’s illustrious cartoon history, which has seen the likes of OV Vijayan, Abu Abraham and Shankar.